Debts and Opera
by FFStoryteller
Summary: What do ya get when you mix Faye, The Italian Mafia, Spike and a lotta memories Debts and Opera thats what ya get!
1. Default Chapter

Debts and Opera  
  
Ohhhh lookie it's my next CB fic! YEY (Dances about like Ed) Hehe.  
  
Well here we have Debts and Opera. A story of Love, Guns, finding out who your friends really are and who you can trust your life with.  
  
Lots of Love and Hugz  
  
FFStoryteller,  
  
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Red Dragons Head Quarters  
  
Playing in the back ground is "Blue" By the Seatbelt and is The Cowboy Bebop Album Disc 4  
  
Spike, the moss coloured hair, mismatched eyes, Kung-Fu fighting bounty hunter of the fishing ship Bebop, walked clumsily down the red carpet that led away from Vicious or what was left of Vicious, clutching his ribs where Vicious had dealt a vicious blow. Blood pumped a sticky sweet path through Spike's fingers, staining the blue suit he wore a scarlet colour.  
  
Spike saw various soldiers gather around the bottom of the stairs, watching as Spike made his descent. This scene was tainted by blood that poured from Spike's forehead into his normal eye.  
  
Is it that fun to watch a dead man walk?  
  
He smiled a slow cynical smile as he reached the 5th step from the bottom. Feeling his life run away from him, he raised his right hand and uttered one word. A true cowboy word.  
  
"Bang,"  
  
He then collapsed. Finally giving up on life, he shut his eyes as his body fell forcefully onto the carpet. His own blood mixing with the red of the carpet.  
  
I'm sorry Faye, looks like this is my last one after all. Will you still come and save me? Spike smiled softly as blood dripped out of his mouth.  
  
A couple of soldiers walked for hesitantly. Spike was still dangerous and might only be playing dead to kill the rest of them. The youngest one, who still had some morals walked up to Spike and indicated for the other guys to come over and help carry him.  
  
"What?! Carry him?!" A soldier gasped as more men started to walk up the stair to help.  
  
"OK think of it as this. This guy is the only leader of the Red Dragon left so if he dies, the Red Dragon dies. Get it!" A guy told him.  
  
"Fine,"  
  
The soldiers managed to bind up Spikes wounds as best they can and started of on the trek to the nearest hospital.  
  
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Somewhere on Earth  
  
Playing in the back ground is "Back home Where I learnt to fly" By the Foo- Fighters  
  
Ed, the Fanta kid was typing on her computer with a vengeance. She had to find some people!  
  
Ed had spent a couple of days with her Dad and found them to be boring and dull. Nobody needed her help with anything. There was no Jet-person to tell that she was hungry. No Spike-person to tell her that he needed a new bounty to catch and no Faye-Faye to annoy and ask her about stuff.  
  
Ed was bored and when Ed's bored, Ed hacks!  
  
Right now she was in ISSP's "Hack-proof" page letting EMPU into the files so EMPU could launch Ed's tracking program.  
  
(Ha "Hack-proof"? Not to Ed the coolest hacker in the UNIVERSE! Lol hello reader-person the voices in Ed's head are HERE! Hehehe CHEESEY SANDWICHS!!!! Hmmm hungry now.Ok back to story!)  
  
Ed's tracking program was a program that only tracked three people in the entire universe! Spike, Jet and Faye-Faye. They all had bugs on them that amplified their Bio-signal that was transmitted through Mar's central computer which EMPU had a link to.  
  
These trackers kept an eye on the person they were on life signals. Brain wave, Heart beat, Blood pressure etc, etc, blah, blah, and blah .  
  
Ed pulled down her hacker goggles and was immersed in the Day-Glo sea that her virtual world was composed of. The little fish icon swam in this sea of data, arranging data into a map of the universe.  
  
Three boxes appeared with three little avatar size pictures next to them. One of them was around Mars. The picture was of Jet rubbing his head and grinning at the person. His little box was normal and nothing was unusual so Ed looked for Faye-Faye. Her box appeared on earth near Rome. Her picture was of her smiling with a cigarette dangling from her mouth. Ed must have taken the picture on a good day. Her life signs were normal too. Ed's eyes scanned for the third picture and found it on Mars. The picture was of Spike grinning lopsidedly. Green hair messed up as usual.  
  
"Ahhh found them Ed has!" Ed grinned and gestured to Ed to look at the screen of her tomato. "See Jet-person fine, Faye-Faye good and Spike-person is in hospital. WHAT?!" Ed suddenly realised what she was saying and gaped at the screen.  
  
"SPIKE-PERSON!!!!!!!!!!" Ed's fingers danced across the keyboard calling up data that included Spike's injuries and which hospital he was at.  
  
"Ein lets go!" Ed packed up her tomato quickly and ran out of her tent towards her Zip Craft the Hermes with Ein following at her heels, yapping all the way.  
  
"Papa, Ed has to go now," Ed called out to the oldish man who was bossing about the poor assistant about.  
  
"Sure Emily, have a great life and know that you always can come back," Ed's dad waved and smiled as his daughter got into her Zip Craft he had got for her and flew off towards the stars and to her home, the Bebop.  
  
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One Year Later, Earth, Rome.  
  
Playing in the background is "Adieu" By Faye on the Bebop Album disc 4 I think Lol.  
  
Faye Valentine stepped elegantly out of the jet-black stretch limousine and onto the cobbles of rustic Rome. One of the only places in the world where the gate accident had not affected the land at all.  
  
Faye was wearing a slinky black evening dress creation that fell to the floor in a silk waterfall. Her dark plum hair was swept up in an amethyst clip with few tendrils of hair creeping down to frame her face and add a contrast to the china doll white face and emerald green eyes. She held a dark blue silk clutch purse and a long black ribbon was tied her around her gun firing hand, but on closer inspection it was actually a tie.  
  
After she got out a young guy of about 18 or so stepped out of the Limo. He was dressed in a black Armani tux with sandy blonde hair streaked with a light brown, he was not your typical Italian mobster.  
  
"Well shall we Faye? You have an appointment with Don Corneo," He bowed like a gentleman and offered his arm which Faye took smiling.  
  
As Faye entered the great opera house in Rome, she was never ceased to be amazed by the Old World style that emanated from every pore of the beautiful house that was styled in Renaissance style. Red's, gold's and other rich colours stood out everywhere. Cherubs and Gods looked down from the ceiling at the people in evening wear and smiled.  
  
Faye separated from Luca and went of towards the private box rooms that were only for the rich and famous or if you were Faye's employer, a wealthy Mafia boss.  
  
Eventually she got to the box and sat down next to a blonde haired man who was watching the Opera with avid interest.  
  
"What's next?" Faye asked as she got comfortable on the chair, smoothing out an imaginary wrinkle on her skirt, rather than fidget and let him know she was nervous.  
  
"Carmen dies, I think." The man replied not taking his eyes of the stage.  
  
"Ha-Ha funny. I mean whose next? I got John Lamon for you so where's my pay?" Faye demanded. Last night she had to point a gun to a young boy's head whose only crime was not signing up to be a Mafia guy when he turned 14. It made Faye sick, but she had to do, whether she pulled the trigger or not was up to her.  
  
"You could have so much more my dear. Legions of men to do your bidding. Millions in the bank and you could be the queen of Italy," He let his hand slip onto Faye's thigh, still keeping his eye on the Opera.  
  
"I don't think so. I do jobs for you. That's it. Nothing more nothing less." Faye grabbed his hand and squeezed a pressure point, just to let him know that his attention wasn't appreciated and wouldn't be tolerated.  
  
He quickly took his hand back.  
  
So Spike, you are good for something. Showing a Romani how to hurt people. Faye thought smiling And not to take Bull from anyone.  
  
"Corneo, I want my money," Faye said as she got up to leave. Corneo reached into his tux and pulled out a black leather wallet with a credit-card inside it. He handed it over to Faye then turned his attention back to the opera. "Luca will tell you about the next target that needs to be terminated."  
  
Faye quickly got out of the Opera house anxious to leave the opera, go home and scrub herself to get rid of the dirt she felt the Don's hand had left.  
  
"FAYE!" Luca was running out of the Opera house with a silver briefcase after Faye. He got her just as she was getting into her limo. "Here. This is the next target,"  
  
Faye smiled and nodded her head in thanks and headed to her Limo. Climbing inside, she took off her shoes and let her feet rest up onto the seats.  
  
"This is the life isn't Alfredo? A warm villa, good money, food on demand and great clothes. Don't you agree Alfredo?" Faye chuckle contentedly. Life was good and nothing could go wrong. Her next target was going to be an easy hit. She had grown in skill from when she was on the Bebop.  
  
"Ed agrees Captain Faye-Faye," A familiar voice agreed.  
  
"ED?!" Faye cried.  
  
Looks like some thing has gone wrong.  
  
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Faye's Villa, Rome  
  
Playing in the background is Chicken Bone from the Bebop album  
  
"What are you doing here Ed?" Faye demanded as she entered her Villa with Ed following behind her singing a song about chicken bones.  
  
"Ed got told by Jet-person to find Faye-Faye and bring Faye-Faye back to Bebop-bop,"  
  
Faye's face went an angry shade of red as she started to rant about how she wasn't part of the Bebop, so why did they have to try and get her back?!  
  
Faye's villa was a classic villa with white washed stone walls, roman columns and a beautiful garden that was filled with scents and a water feature that was of Artemis standing, bow strung and aimed at the sky. Around her feet were Faye's favourite flowers, white lilies with tinges of purple coming from the centre.  
  
Faye stormed into the villa and ripped the video phone out of its cradle, typing a number in furiously that she had committed to memory. A number she hadn't typed in over a year  
  
"Hello.?" A voice drawled sleepily on the other end of the phone. A familiar face was on the video screen, yawning as he looked at the caller. "Spike here, what do you want? Hey is that you F-"  
  
Faye stuttered an answer. "Spike.?" She shoved the phone down onto the floor, effectively ending the conversation.  
  
This isn't happening! Everything is Ok, this is just a bad dream and I'll wake up from it! Faye tried to convince herself. Unfortunately her heart wasn't having any of it. Spike was back and that's all it needed to try to beat Faye's confused mind into making Faye go back to the Bebop and see Spike.  
  
"Faye-Faye Ed is sleepy," Ed said as she raided Faye's fridge seeing if there was any snacks to be had. Unfortunately for Ed, Faye could cook, but with so many nice restaurants and cafes around who needs to cook?  
  
"Take my bed Ed. First room on the left. I have some thinking to do. Good night," Faye answered on automatic response, not really listening.  
  
"Night-Night Faye-Faye," Ed called out as she went to bed.  
  
Faye didn't answer and instead walked to her sitting room, took a seat on the leather sofa and for some reason all she could think about another sofa, that was a hell of a lot less comfier than this one and the incident that took place on the Bebop.  
  
~ Flashback ~ Oh a flashback scene, aren't I so brilliant? Lol I'm not arrogant I swear. LOL Sorry now if the cool shimmery curtain just appears and takes us back  
about 1 year ago I will tell the scene that Faye is thinking.  
(Shimmery curtain falls over me) OK that's IT! I REFUSE TO WORK WITH AMATUERS ANY MORE! I AM A PROFESSIONAL AND DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE THIS!!!!!! But since I'm such a nice person here it  
is the flash back scene. Lol  
  
The Bebop, one year ago.  
  
It was once again a hot day on the Bebop. The metal floor of the main hold was cool to the touch and was where Faye was seeking refuge from the blistering heat. A cigarette dangling from her mouth, she shut her eyes and concentrated on the cold feeling on her back.  
  
"So even Faye feels the heat," A smart voice commented above her. Faye smiled and raised a hand in a one fingered salute.  
  
"Piss off Spike, I'm not in the mood to deal with your irritating voice today," Faye told him as a matter of factly. Her drink supply had disappeared and she suspected a certain green haired cowboy had something to do with it.  
  
"Well there goes my offer of splitting this 500,000 wulong bounty with you, if you help."  
  
Faye opened her eyes to Spike and said knowing exactly what kind of help Spike needed.  
  
"So the guys into whores huh? Well Spike go down and get yourself one., because this Romani ain't going nowhere today except for the shower,"  
  
Spike smiled and walked off towards the hangar whistling a small tune he heard Faye sing form time to time.  
  
And when light shines from Heaven  
  
I'll be there,  
  
Your heavenly sinner .  
  
Not a fallen angel,  
  
just a Heavenly sinner.  
  
And when your angel runs away  
  
And all you're left with is pain  
  
Let me help  
  
Even though I sin everyday  
  
Why does it have to be this way?  
  
Pain, battles and unshed tears  
  
Anguish, hate and unspoken fears  
  
And yet even as I sin  
  
I know  
  
Your smile will get me through  
  
The latest day  
  
And maybe  
  
Maybe one day  
  
It'll save me  
  
Your heavenly sinner  
  
Not a fallen angel  
  
Just your heavenly sinner.  
  
(Ok Sara crap I know, its more a collection of thoughts than anything else, but hey I will work on it and make it better and Heavenly Sinner is my new MSN name probably Lol)  
  
And you know, he probably doesn't even know the meaning behind that song. Faye thought glumly as she sat up. Lunkhead.  
  
~ 2 Hours later ~  
  
Faye was in Spike's room looking underneath his bed for the liquor she knew he had! Various items lay around her. Cigarettes, a lighter, letters, CD's filled with Jazz and other kinds of music and a photo of Spike and Julia.  
  
Faye really had to resist the urge to draw a HUGE MOUSTACHE on Julia and instead took it to Ed, who made of a copy of the picture so Faye could have one to draw over whenever she felt like it!  
  
(Yeah! Do it Faye, JULIA IS EVILLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!! ^(^_^)^)  
  
She eventually found, nestled away in one of Spike's practice pads, a bottle of whiskey. Faye looked at it appraisingly and nodded.  
  
"Not bad Spike, not bad at all," and then she proceeded to get very, very, very drunk on Spike's 25 year single malt whiskey that cost Spike 100 wulong a bottle.  
  
"Serves him right, nicking my drink! He owes me this! So I'm totally within my rights to drink it all by myself!" Faye reasoned as the bottle slowly got emptier.  
  
"No in fact I will share," She stood up and held onto Spike's dresser as the room whirled around her. "WOULD ANYONE LIKE SOME DRINK?" Faye shouted, wincing at how loud her voice was. Silence answered her. "Well Ok then I'll drink it all by myself then since no one wants any!" Faye giggled and got down to the serious task of getting pissed.  
  
~5 hour later ~  
  
Faye had taken her drinking spree to the living room. Three quarters of the whiskey had disappeared now and Faye was a lot happier than she was seven hours ago.  
  
She laid sprawled across the lemon yellow sofa, giggling loudly at some private joke about how Whitney Haggis Motsumoto had been drunk under the table by a just revived Faye.  
  
"Hmm." She shook the practically empty bottle of Whiskey and pouted. "Damn that went fast! Hmm. Sleep. now." She slowly fell into the dreamless sleep of a drunk and didn't wake up when a pair of blue shoes stealthily crept slid along the floor half an hour later.  
  
"Drunk again Faye?" Spike leaned over the sofa, one hand in his pockets, the other holding a brief case full of wulong and a cigarette dangling from his lips. His mismatched eyes caught the whiskey bottle clutched to Faye's chest as one of his own.  
  
He glared openly at Faye, who on cue turned over and faced Spike, still sleeping. Her hair had come free from her hair band, letting the violet locks fall around her face making her seem more childlike and less of a hardened woman. A woman who regularly watched her back, had been betrayed by others and always went everywhere with a gun.  
  
I wonder if she knows she looks beautiful when she sleeps? WHAT?! WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!?!?!?! Oh no, I can't. I can't fall for the Romani! I love Julia. right?  
  
He noticed he had been thinking of Julia less and less and a certain green eyed woman with purple hair had been occupying the section of his brain that normally was for Julia. He shook his head and walked away towards his room to get changed to his beater and sweatpants.  
  
"A workout should help me sleep tonight and maybe I can figure out some things too," He walked slowly to the workout room as Faye started to wake up.  
  
Her hand grasped the back of the lemon sofa as she grimaced at the party going on in her head. A quick shake of the whiskey bottle proved there were some left in it, enough to chase the blues away for about an hour or so. She quickly gulped it back in one. As the alcohol burned a sweet path of fire down her throat she got up and stumbled towards her room for a proper sleep.  
  
As she stumbled to her room she heard music come from the workout room. It wasn't Jazz, but a kind of slow ballad rock with a definite beat that you could work too, pumping through the thin door.  
  
"This is my life It's not what it was before All these feelings I've shared  
  
And these are my dreams That's I had never lived before Somebody shake me 'cause I must be sleeping"  
  
"Spike?" Faye questioned as she walked hesitantly towards the workout room door, listening to the husky voice sing a song that meant a lot to Faye. It was a silent confession of the pain and emotions that he felt, even she felt it to an extent. Even drunk Faye realised that.  
  
"Now that we're here It's so far away All the struggle we thought was in vain  
  
All the mistakes One life contained They all finally start to go away  
  
Now that we're here It's so far away And I feel like I can face the day I can forgive  
  
And I'm not ashamed To be that person that I am today  
  
These are my words That I've never said before I think I'm doing OK  
  
And this is the smile That I've never shown before Somebody shake me 'cause I must be sleeping  
  
Now that we're here It's so far away All the struggle we thought was in vain  
  
All the mistakes One life contained They all finally start to go away  
  
Now that we're here It's so far away And I feel like I can face the day I can forgive  
  
And I'm not ashamed To be that person that I am today  
  
I'm so afraid of waking Please don't shake me Afraid of waking Please don't shake me  
  
Now that we're here It's so far away  
  
All the struggle we thought was in vain All the mistakes One life contained They all finally start to go away  
  
Now that we're here It's so far away And I feel like I can face the day I can forgive  
  
And I'm not ashamed To be that person that I am today"  
  
In the work out room that Spike had claimed as his own Spike was doing a Mawashi geri (Round house kick, ah the joys of being a red belt in karate Lol) that made the poor punch bag fly violently to the right. Spike countered with a Mika Zuke Geri (Crescent kick). That basically demolished the bunch bag into its base components. A leather bag and some stuffing that lay on the floor, as Spike breathed heavily. He had been trying to silence the argument that his brain and heart was having over a certain Romani.  
  
"Woah." Faye whispered as she entered the workout room watching the bag explode. Finding a comfy bit of wall next to the door, she leaned against it, as she dove back into her memories of 55 years ago, a week before the Lunar gate accident.  
  
"Joey, Joey, wait up I'm not as fast as you are!" Faye called to the 14 year old that was running down the hill that led from her house. Faye was running, but her hat kept trying to fly away and she had to keep getting it back.  
  
"Hurry up Sis. 'Fist's of Fury' is gonna start in five minutes!"  
  
Faye grinned and ran, not caring about that hat. She could always get it later and if not, she could always buy a new one.  
  
Bruce Lee ROCKED in Faye's mind. Most of her time was spent watching old movies and subtitled action movies were among her favourite. She was a regular at the cinema down the street, were they didn't show the latest block busters, but instead had themed nights like Chinese Horror films or Indian dance films or a bunch of films starring one particular actor.  
  
Tonight was Bruce Lee's turn and Faye was sure as hell looking forward to twelve hours of Bruce Lee, her Idol.  
  
"Now if I could just met a guy who was like Bruce Lee I'd be happy!" Faye thought aloud as she ran.  
  
"FAYE!"  
  
"WAIT UP JOEY!"  
  
Faye had remembered her brother when she came back from her ruined house. No one had cared she had left and all Faye was left with was her memories for comfort. And it had hurt her.  
  
Her memories had left her with a ruined house and an ache in her heart. She had no family left. No one that she could turn to and no one she could call "Mum" "Dad" or "Brother" all she had now was her Red-tail, a packet of cigarettes, a pair of sunglasses and a gun. That was all she really needed.  
  
Hopefully.  
  
"So how was the whiskey Faye?" Spike asked starting to shadow fight. "It cost 100 wulong a bottle so it better had been worth it,"  
  
Faye blushed and started to walk forward unsteadily.  
  
"Spike?"  
  
"Yeah.?" Spike stopped his fighting and looked at Faye who was now at his side, looking at the remains of the punch bag.  
  
"Have you ever heard of a guy called Bruce Lee? I mean forget about it! Hah It was over 75 years ago and you weren't even born then." Faye quickly tried to make her escape, blushing furiously.  
  
What the hell was I thinking?! Of course Spike doesn't know about Bruce Lee! He wasn't born then!  
  
A hand stopped her by holding onto her wrist. She turned around and looked straight into Spike's mismatched eyes.  
  
"I know about him, yeah, why?" Spike asked curiously. Faye was actually being nice to him and he wanted to know why.  
  
"Well when I went to Earth I found an box set of beta-tapes that were Bruce Lee films and I was wondering, if you want to watch them with me?"  
  
Spike grinned and nodded his head. "Yeah sure, I'll watch with you, I'll even provide the drink."  
  
Faye smiled right back at him. He looked as if the past had been lifted from his shoulders. Well at least temporarily.  
  
"Hey Faye," Spike felt the urge to show off and Faye happened to be in the room. "Watch," Faye turned around just in time for Spike to rub his nose in a very Bruce Lee style and start to bounce on his toes forwards and back in front of Faye whilst moving his hands into guard position.  
  
Faye just put one hand on her hip and looked at him with one eyebrow raised above her green eyes.  
  
"Best you can do Cowboy?" She said clearly unimpressed, but also amused. It had been a long time since a man had tried to amuse her, even if it was Spike.  
  
He grinned, jumped back into a somersault kick landing perfectly on his toes.  
  
Faye giggled and thought maybe she had found a Bruce Lee in Spike.  
  
"And that's not even the best bit," He commented as he looked at Faye who was extremely amused.  
  
(A/N Now I know Spike and Bruce Lee do Kung-Fu, but I do Karate and I know the technical terms for that! So I'll write them down in Japanese form and give you what they mean in English, in brackets. I just to prove how much I love all you guys I got my Sensei to show me some cool moves like what Spike would do! He had to watch Bebop to understand the kind of style of fighting I wanted and he's now into Cowboy Bebop! YEY Another convert. ^(^_^)^ So he said any more fight scenes I can just ask him to show me some cool fighting moves just for me so I can write them down and make my story's fights way cool! Lol sorry Bit off track there well on with the story! P,S He makes me do them too. Ouch! I come home with bruises! Lol kinda fun actually all the advanced stuff is dead cool and I even get to play with Nun-chucks, Sai's and Bo-staffs Hehe I like weapons. Ok ignore that last part I sound a slightly bit insane. C? It's the Ed's Voices I swear!!! )  
  
He judged the distance between him and Faye and suddenly, with no warning did a Nidan Geri (Two thrust kick) but jumping whilst turning. (Kind of like Caporiea, you know Eddy's windmill kick form Tekken 4, but up in air.) As Spike came down he did Ashikubi Kake Uke (Ankle Sweep) leaving Faye falling onto the floor still giggling.  
  
"Not bad cowboy, but I have a better one," Faye said as she got up.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yep, just watch," Faye steadied herself against the wall. "Now when I get you to give up, don't sulk,"  
  
"Sure Romani, if you can get me to give up," Spike wondered what she had in store for him. His mind started to work and came up with some very interesting answers. As in answer to his mind, Spike's eyes settled on Faye's lips.  
  
Faye slowly turned her back to him and drew out his pack of cigarettes that had the only cigarette in the whole Bebop in it. She had pick-pocketed from him as she had laid on the floor.  
  
"Now Gaujo, this is the last cigarette on the Bebop, yes?" She said turning round with a smile on her face. Spike's jaw dropped.  
  
How did she get them? He wondered.  
  
"Now I'm going to smoke the very last cigarette and you're going to watch, unless. you give up," Faye drew the one last cigarette, lighted it and started to smoke it right in front of Spike. Spike was trying to remain calm, but failed and instead lunged for Faye and his smoke.  
  
"No you don't Spike!" Faye said and legged it out of the workout room and towards the living room with Spike following her close behind.  
  
"Faye give it back NOW!"  
  
Faye turned around and stuck out her tongue at Spike still running for her life, well. For the chance at annoying Spike anyway.  
  
"Catch me if you can Cowboy," Faye challenged as she made a swift left down a corridor. Spike followed closely, but he didn't catch up to Faye even though he could. He was enjoying this game of Chase and didn't want it to end, not yet anyway.  
  
"Shit!" Spike ran into the room to be met with Faye standing awe-struck at the view.  
  
The cigarette was lying forgotten on the floor, still alight.  
  
The room was about the size of the living room and was part of the hull. The hull wall wasn't made of metal, but instead, it was made of bullet- proof glass giving the person inside awesome view of the stars. This was what made Faye swear softly. Even though she travelled through space everyday in her Red-tail, she was always too busy running away or chasing a bounty. She never took time to see the stars anymore.  
  
"Pretty isn't it? I come up here all the time, just to look," Spike said as he walked up to Faye.  
  
"Yeah." Faye breathed awe-struck. Her eyes were like a child's with a new toy. She wanted to see everything the universe had to offer, she wanted to see, hear and touch the universe.  
  
"But it's not like I can do that. I have to survive and that is my everything." Faye whispered realising she couldn't see the universe and touch it like a toy. "I should move on,"  
  
"What?!" Spike had been day dreaming about all the amazing places he had seen in the universe when Faye came out with that little statement.  
  
Faye turned and smiled brightly. " I've been thinking Gaujo. I've been on the Bebop for two years now and all I have done is get in your way and gamble all your money away. Maybe it's time for me to move on. I mean I am a Romani and I've travelled the stars and still haven't found love."  
  
Or maybe I have.  
  
Spike was thrown into confusion.  
  
Faye gone.?  
  
A couple of years ago he would have been jumping for joy, but now he was strangely attached to her. He didn't want to be, but his heart had grown fond of her. His brain had protested this, screaming Julia it had tried to remind Spike about who he loved, but Spike never listened to his brain.  
  
"And you would save on food bills and you wouldn't have to listen to me anymore and I might see you again one da-" Faye babbled looking at the stars. Not looking at Spike's eyes that she was sure held joy at getting rid of her.  
  
"No,"  
  
The short answer startled Faye out of her babbling. She tuned and look Spike square in the eyes.  
  
"You don't mean that," Faye accused.  
  
"Yes I do,"  
  
"No you don't, You hate me and that can't change,"  
  
No matter how I want it to  
  
Spike was sick of this and took Faye's lips in a savage kiss, trying to tell her his feelings about her going. Faye didn't offer any resistance and instead kissed back, just like he dreamed she would.  
  
"Julia." Spike murmured against Faye's lips, forgetting that he had Faye in his arms and not Julia. Julia had never made him feel like this, when she didn't turn up at the graveyard that day, he was hurt , but he let her go. Faye, he didn't want to let her go.  
  
That word felt like poison to Faye. Uttered on her lips, by the man she loved she felt her heart had been ripped out, pulverised and then put in a blender for an hour until all that was left was a big mess of red gooey heart that couldn't love nor beat. She wrenched herself away from him with an animal look in her eyes. She was breathing heavily through anger and hurt.  
  
The cigarette still laid on the floor, glowing softly.  
  
"I am not fucking Julia!" She yelled and whacked Spike across the face her nails leaving 4 bloody red lines across his face. "I am not Julia." It all got too much for Faye and she ran with tears rolling down her face leaving Spike alone.  
  
"Shit!" Spike yelled as he comprehended what had happened. "Faye."  
  
The cigarette went out.  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- *-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
(A/N Okies I am SO SORRY! That was like the longest ever flashback! I TOTALLY apologise for that! Hey the flashback even had a flashback in it! Hey am I allowed to do that? ::Looks at story rules:: Hey why am I doing this I am the author so screw that! ::Rips up story rules:: There and since this is my story I say WE CAN HAVE AS MANY FLASHBACKS AS WE WANT! And that flashback I might edit and change into a one-shot hehe I'm SO LAZY! Lol well back to story)  
  
Faye's Villa  
  
Next Day  
  
Playing in the background is Cowboy Bebop's song "Don't Bother None," I know it doesn't exactly set the mood, but I like it. Lol  
  
Faye woke up to the shrill bring of the doorbell. Stretching her aching neck, she got up from the sofa. Nightmares and memories haunted her dreams and didn't let her sleep. Dark circles hung under her eyes and these dark circles weren't excess eye-shadow.  
  
BRING, BRING  
  
"Wait a second, Ughhh, this is worse than a hangover." Faye mumbled as she made her way to the front door, trying to arrange her hair into something half-decent, settling on a plain ponytail.  
  
"Hello.?" She drawled, keeping her eyes downcast and away from the sun. The sun had never been good to her unless she was tanning and even then she came away like a burnt crisp.  
  
"Good morning Faye," A confident voice greeted.  
  
"Corneo? What are you doing here?!" Faye demanded as she shielded her eyes from the sun to look at the arrogant 34 year old.  
  
"To discuss your finances. May I come in?"  
  
Faye suddenly woke up and realised Ed was in her room.  
  
SHIT! OK think Valentine AH-HA!  
  
Faye plastered on her award smile and said sweetly, flirting outrageously "Why don't we go out for breakfast, your treat. It's such a lovely day that we shouldn't waste it. Just give me five minutes and I'll be presentable to the public. Just wait here," Faye said and then shut the door in his face.  
  
"Ok letter for Ed, change, ARGHHHH WHY ME?" Faye cursed as she ran into her room. Grabbing a pair of smart boot-cut trousers and a lilac v-neck shirt. She quickly wrote a note to Ed and changed REALLY quickly.  
  
"Lucky Ed," Faye smiled as she looked at Ed sleeping quietly on her bed. She looked like a regular kid.  
  
Ed normal? Ha I must be getting soft.  
  
Faye then realised that she had shut the door on the head of the Italian Mafia and that wasn't a guy to piss off.  
  
"See you later Ed,"  
  
Running quickly to the door, she shoved on a pair of black kitten heels and somehow managed to get her hair into her black headband.  
  
"There we are now let's go," Faye smiled as she opened the door to the Don.  
  
Don Corneo just smiled and led her to his Limo that was parked outside.  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- *-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Five Minutes Later  
  
A small Café somewhere in Rome  
  
After 5 minutes of chit-chat and small talk, Faye felt the urge to punch Corneo right in his mouth. Don Corneo was the kind of guy Faye hated. Long, blonde and greasy hair tied back in a ponytail. His pond-scum green eyes calculated the value of everything he saw. A fitness fanatic that demanded perfection from himself and everyone else. And the thing she hated the most about him. That everything was his for the taking, power, women, money and anything else he wanted. That arrogance infuriated her beyond belief.  
  
"So what do you mean, my 'Finances'?" Faye said breaking the idle chi-chat. She had a cappuccino that was steaming and a blueberry muffin.  
  
Don Corneo sat down his coffee and said quite calmly, "The fact you have a bill of 5,000,000 from a cryogenic hospital. That fact that if I sold the rights to take your life onto the black market I would get billions from pissed off mob bosses whose lackeys you've killed and the fact that you're 74 years old,"  
  
"WHAT?!" Faye slammed her hands onto the small café table. Faces turned towards her and stared causing her to become bright red, but it did not abate her anger one little bit. She had worked hard to erase her past from everyone and now here it was biting her on the ass again!  
  
"I would calm down, Faye Valentine. You wouldn't want to attract any unwanted attention would you?" He commented with cold logic. Faye sat down gritting her teeth. "I have an idea."  
  
If you want to jump of a cliff and need a helping hand, I'll help Faye thought maliciously.  
  
"What?!" Faye was still royally pissed.  
  
" I can make all you debts disappear quite easily, If you do your next job well. This is going to be your most dangerous so I putting a tracker on you darling." And with lightening sped in shoved on a ring made of gold with a diamond sparkling in the middle onto Faye's engagement finger.  
  
"Shit! What the fuck?!" Faye tried to pull he ring off her finger, but it wouldn't budge.  
  
"And that's not even the best bit. Now Faye I want you to bring your target, still alive to our wedding,"  
  
"WHAT?! THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY I WILL EVER MARRY YOU!!!!!!!!! I WOULD RATHER CHEW MY OWN FEET OFF AND WORK MY WAY UP, WITHOUT ANY SALT!!!"  
  
A sharp piercing pain suddenly happened in Faye's finger. Quickly looking she saw minuet blades from the ring go down into her finger.  
  
"What the fuck?!"  
  
"Those are to remind you Faye of your obligation to me, As soon as you some back to me I'll take it off, until then Ciao,". Corneo waved a hand up in the air and Faye, not feeling too happy about today's turn of events, pulled out her gun from a her ankle holster and pointed it at Corneo's head.  
  
"You will take it off now bastard or else I will wear it and I will have a lovely set of your teeth as a necklace to go with it!"  
  
"Excuse Faye, I have business to attend to," Corneo stood up and two guys in black suits grabbed Faye's arms. Roughly wrenching the gun out of her hand.  
  
"BASTARD!"  
  
"Take her to her transportation gentlemen, but be careful, my bride must look radiant for her wedding," He walked up to Faye and stole a savage kiss that made Faye angrier than ever.  
  
"Kiss this!" She spat into his face. Don Corneo just smiled serenely and raised his hand to slap her.  
  
"SPACE COWGIRL ED TO THE RESCUE!" A loud voice boomed from "Hermes" who appeared just in the nick of time. Ed smiled through the see-through glass at the thugs and trained all the guns, missile launchers and every other weapon hat her Zip-craft contained onto them.  
  
"LET FAYE-FAYE GO!" Ed commanded as the back bit that was made of clear plastic of her Space craft opened to reveal a seat.  
  
The thugs having no brains to think that Ed wouldn't shoot if they had Faye, let her go and Faye jumped into the back compartment of the zip- craft.  
  
"Lets go Ed!" Faye called to Ed.  
  
"UP, UP AND AWAY CAPTAIN FAYE-FAYE!"  
  
The compartment Faye was in shut closed and the zip-craft took off leaving behind Don Corneo, who through all of this had been talking to a friend of his, not really bothering about Faye.  
  
"Ahhh very clever Faye, but not clever enough," He slid his black suit sleeve up and pressed a few buttons on his watch. "There and now to work,"  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
7 Hour Later, 5 minutes from the Bebop in orbit around Mars  
  
The whole week hadn't been a good week for Faye.  
  
Her favourite gun, her Glock. 44 had had to be taken in for cleaning. Her best evening gown was at the dry-cleaners and now Ed shows up and tell her that the guy she had been mourning for wasn't actually dead. Her boss turns out to fancy her and now had a deranged fantasy where Faye was his wife. She was now returning to a place she vowed she would never return to, after the decision she made to be a Romani and try to find her roots on Earth and she had broke her favourite nail!  
  
Going back to the Bebop like a child goes back to a safety blanket after a bad dream. She thought downheartedly. So much for making it on my own in the big bad universe.  
  
She watched as her eyes went out of focus and the colours from stars far away melted and danced about like Ed on a particularly hyper day.  
  
"This isn't good." Faye said as she fought sleep.  
  
If Spike saw me asleep he would rip the piss! All weak and not me.  
  
She looked down and saw the gold ring beat the minuet blades into her finger and the small ring of blood around the wound that told her she was bleeding heavily.  
  
"Ed how far is it to the Bebop?" Faye asked not knowing how much more she could stand of these colours. All she needed was to go to her room and have a nap or a cold shower. That would fix her right up. She was sure of it.  
  
"We're here captain Faye-Faye!" Ed did a perfect landing in the hangar of the Bebop. Two familiar faces watched as Ed jumped out of the Hermes and ran to Ein.  
  
Faye looked weakly out of the see-through window and saw them. Two people who she thought she would never see again.  
  
Jet and Lunkhead, huh. There are here. I need to get to bed. The colours are really strong. She thought as she pressed a button for the hatch to open.  
  
Her brain hadn't even processed the fact that Spike was here and alive. Her brain was having a hard enough job just telling up from down. She somehow managed to get out, still wobbly like she was drunk. Jet the epitome of Fatherly concern stepped forward and grabbed Faye in a bear hug. Dressed in his usual uniform and his hair as black and receding as usual he was Jet. The constant reliable factor in her life.  
  
"Faye are you OK?"  
  
"Yeah Jet, if you would just let go I'll go back to my room and have a good sleep, I'll do the whole 'great to see you' routine no problem. So I'll see you in an hour or something Ok Jet?" Faye said as Jet let her go. Faye smiled weakly and stumbled towards the hangar door.  
  
"What so no hi for me?" Spike asked he easily caught up with the swaying Faye who was now clutching the wall for support. Faye knowing that Spike would give her no quarter whether she felt ill or not, immediately went on the defensive.  
  
"Spike, leave me alone. I've had a crappy day and this ring on my finger isn't helping!"  
  
"Ring.?" Spike grabbed Faye's hand carefully as he knew she wasn't feeling too good and looked at the engagement ring on her finger. "So who's the lucky guy?" Spike sneered. like as if he was jealous.  
  
Me Jealous? Hah! I only want to know which poor guy I should send my condolences to! That's it!  
  
"FUCK OFF SPIKE! IF THAT WAS AN ENGAGEMENT RING THEN IT SURE AS HELL WOULDN'T BE DOING THIS!" Faye ripped her hand out of his hand and held it up to his face to show the blood dripping from it. "I know you're not an expert, but I've never seen an engagement ring that makes people bleed before! Have you?! I know love supposed to hurt, but isn't this taking it a little too far?!"  
  
"Faye.I'm." Spike stuttered as Faye's face just got angrier.  
  
"Sorry?! Well Spike a little late for that now isn't it?! And you know something else. I HATE YOU!" Faye screamed letting her emotion's get the better of her. " I FUCKING HATE YOU!"  
  
"The feeling's mutual Faye believe me!" Spike sneered, putting on a mask.  
  
Do I really hate her? Spike shook his head to get rid of that annoying question. I'll think about it another time.  
  
Jet watched this all and shook his head, not believing that they had started to fight already. He watched Faye open the hangar door on shaky feet, her hands failing several times to get the switch for the door. Spike just couldn't help but follow on the argument and followed her into the Bebop. Jet watched this all and sighed.  
  
Crazy Kids  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- *-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Main Hull of the Bebop  
  
Faye managed to get to the living room of the Bebop and collapsed on the sofa, wincing at the colours that danced in front of her.  
  
Why couldn't we have a black room with no sound? She wondered hearing the soft steps of Spike come down the stairs.  
  
"Haven't had enough yet Cowboy?" Faye sneered, fighting the urge to retch up her stomach.  
  
"The fact is you have Romani. You can't walk in a straight line and there's no alcohol on Ed's ship so you are ill," Spike diagnosed walking over to Faye.  
  
Faye slid her eyes shut tightly and groaned.  
  
He's coming over her with that cocky grin on his face. DAMN! I've been trying to forget him for a year now! I can still remember everything  
  
"And what the fuck gives you the right to tell me I'm ill?!" Faye asked turning over into the Lemon yellow couch to try and muffle the noise of Spike, whilst trying not to retch her guts out at this simple movement.  
  
"Shut up Faye," Spike walked swiftly over to her and turned her the right way round.  
  
"Screw you Speigal," Faye muttered, eyes still shut.  
  
"Maybe some other time Faye," Spike smiled quickly before regaining his serious face and leaned over her. "Now open your eyes,"  
  
"No, I don't have too!" Faye groaned turning over again.  
  
"Yes you do, you're gonna get blood all over the sofa and instead of me just hating you, Jet will too,"  
  
"Fuck off Spike, I don't need you,"  
  
Liar. She thought.  
  
Spike smiled and nodded his head. "You're right Faye, you don't need me, but you do need help," He reached down and turned her the right way round. "Call this compensation for all the times you've fixed me together."  
  
He quickly grabbed her hand and was rewarded with blood running into his hand from her finger. "Shit Faye, what did you do to this guy?"  
  
"Worked for him,"  
  
"As a.?"  
  
"Hit-man, don't remind me Spike, just let me sleep, I'm so tired," Faye pleaded yawning whilst wincing.  
  
"Yeah OK," Spike agreed feeling a little pull in his heart at Faye being injured. "I'll look at you when you feel better," Spike held out his hand for Faye to pull herself up with.  
  
"Thanks." Faye smiled weakly and took his hand to pull herself up with when the colours really kicked in and turned Faye's whole world dark.  
  
"Faye.?" Spike called her name softly as she went limp. "Faye?"  
  
Hehehe Cliffhanger, well more reviews = more chapters so R+r pretty please  
  
Lots of love and hugz FFStoryteller 


	2. Life

Debts and Opera  
  
Chapter 2  
  
A/N: BOOO! Lol betcha weren't expecting that! Well you guys reviews have inspired me to write the 2nd chapter of this fic and post up my other story. Now I think Its time to introduce you to my muse's. This is Chibi- Kitsune off "Love Hina" She's the one to tell me what to write when Faye and Spike get drunk! Lol say hi Chibi-Kitsune.  
  
::Raises her hand and salutes u guys then swigs her bottle of sake::  
  
(^_^); My other muse is the romance muse and who better than the sailor of love and beauty Sailor Venus is! Say Hiya Mina.  
  
::Walk on and gives the peace sign:: "Hiya guys, Life's short and loves a battle.erm.that's not it."  
(^_^);; I give up, more muses will be appearing in the fic so R+R!!!!!!!!! PLEASEEE Feedback is always appreciated so get e-mailing me @ cosmicthief@hotmail.com  
  
Lol catchya on a moonbeam  
  
Lots of love and hugz  
  
FFStoryteller  
  
The Bebop in orbit around Mars  
  
"Faye.?" Spike called her name softly as she went limp. "Faye?" He started to get worried, she wasn't responding to him at all! "FAYE? JET GET IN HERE NOW!!!!!" Spike shouted to Jet who even in the hangar could hear Spike through the huge thick metal wall.  
  
"What?!" Jet asked as he got into the room.  
  
"Faye!"  
  
Jet took one look at the sight in front of him before yelling for Ed to get in here.  
  
"Edward is here, what does captain-Jet want?" Ed proclaimed as she bounced into the living room with Ein yapping alongside her.  
  
"Captain Jet wants Ed to tell us what's wrong!" Jet yelled.  
  
'Speaking in 3rd person Jet?' Spike thought as he sat on the arm of the lemon sofa, anxiously wondering about Faye.  
  
"Right-Oh Captain Jet-Person," Ed saluted and ran off to find her Tomato.  
  
Jet rubbed the back of his head nervously. No wonder he had any hair on the top of his head, living with Spike and Faye's constant bickering would make even a saint lose her patience.  
  
"So what do you thinks wrong Spike?"  
  
Spike took Faye's limp hand in his larger one. Seeing the blood drip from her finger. He inspected the ring closer and saw that something was moving inside the ring. He watched the ring and saw that tiny needle were in the ring, piercing Faye's finger, causing it to bleed.  
  
"Jet do we have anything to cut this ring off with?" Spike growled. He did not like this ring one bit.  
  
"Yeah I think so," Jet said and ran to get his tools he fixed the computer chips on their zip-crafts.  
  
"Ed is back!" Ed proclaimed as she ran into the room with various wires and her tomato. "Now Spike-person, Doctor Ed will operate! Move now! Nurse Ein, help now," Spike looked at Ed's attire and saw she had found a stethoscope, a white lab jacket and a carpet bag that her computer was currently nestle in, probably from some cupboard in the Bebop that no one else had found.  
  
Ed launched into action. Grabbing the wires from around her neck, she placed three on Faye's head, two on her chest at the collarbone and a clip one on her thumb. Putting the other ends in her tomato, she quickly called up Faye's status.  
  
Spike was dumbstruck. Ed was actually being helpful and she knew what she was doing.  
  
"Ed, where did you learn to do that?" Spike managed to ask through his amazement. Ed waved her hand and smiled brightly.  
  
"Ed wants to be a doctor when Ed grows up," Ed explained as she typed furiously on her computer. "But Ed doesn't do doctor job on Bebop-Bebop, that's Faye-Faye's job." Her knowledge of the fine balance that kept he bebop going astounded Spike. Maybe she wasn't so childish after all.  
  
"YATTA!!!" Ed cried aloud as the smiley face icon danced about the screen, pointing to a specific window. Reading it out Ed said. "Coma. A state of deep sleep that can be caused by a traumatic head wound or a poisoning. Can last anything from a day to the rest of a patient's life. Uh-oh Faye-Faye."  
  
Faye looked like she was just dreaming, Spike was reminded of Landis. The psycho hacker and his threat of making Faye sleep to Death. Now it wasn't Landis who was doing this, but another guy that Spike would have a lot of fun with, with his gun, a few other torture items and a hell of a lot of time.  
  
"Ed, how long will it last?" Spike asked.  
  
Ed looked confused and then started to type again. Drawing up a box from the net, Ed pointed and made Spike read it aloud.  
  
"Coma's have no certain period. They can fluctuate between one day and a century. Most people in coma's wake up, but some just keep sleeping. It is vital that the patient is not moved roughly or serious brain damage could occur. OK that didn't help Ed!!!" Spike was getting more anxious by the minute. He didn't like not knowing what was going on.  
  
Ed made a noncommittal noise and waved her hand in a clear message of 'Go away I'm busy' As she started to wire Faye up to her computer to see if she could find out anything more about her. 


End file.
